Business unprepared for tablet boom, expert says

The tablet computer has ushered in a new era in the enterprise space, with some going so far as to claim the mobile device will become the primary "computing experience" in the near future. According to ZDNet's Dion Hinchcliffe, however, many companies are unprepared for this shift and may find themselves struggling in the post-PC era.

Hinchcliffe asserts that many problems may extend from the "substantial overhaul" that enterprise IT departments will need to undergo in order to prepare for the tablet. Not only does this require users to be trained on a new device, businesses will also need to introduce new infrastructure support, governance policies and security measures to protect corporate data.

The expert notes that "paving the old cow path" isn't enough. Instead, companies must make fundamental changes and consider the substantial advantages that tablets bring, including round-the-clock connectivity, location awareness and augmented reality, among others.

Despite the common thought that the post-PC era is already prevalent in the enterprise space, many businesses may actually be taking their time to embrace these new technologies. According to a May 2012 study by Robert Half Technology, 67 percent of surveyed IT executives say they don’t allow employees to bring their own devices to work. Of those who do support personal devices, two-thirds say it is limited.